On 24 October 2024, Pope Francis released his fourth encyclical on the subject of love.

For some Easter is but a distant memory that has been and gone. However, as Christians we know that the season of Eastertide continues for 50 days and leads us all the way up to Pentecost.

With Lent beginning on Valentine’s Day, this year’s season began from the point of view of love. We choose to acknowledge our sins on Ash Wednesday, not because it is a Holy Day of Obligation, but because somewhere within us all there is that desire to be better than we are and to start again.

In the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus taught simply yet clearly that all the commandments are rooted in these two, the love of God and the love of neighbour.

In Mass on Sunday we heard the above reading from St Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. As we give thanks for the gift of our faith that leads us to attend Mass and be people of prayer, let us also remember the importance of putting out faith into action.

We read in the Gospel of John (20:19) that peace is the gift from the risen Lord to his disciples. We don’t need to look too far to realise that our world at the minute is in such desperate need of this peace.

A lot can happen in 7 days, and even though the Church can move slowly, a lot has happened in the last week.

Making good choices can be difficult, even for good people.

Around the country students will either be returning to their studies at university or college, or beginning for the first time. It is an exciting time, but also one full of emotion, for students and parents/carers.